РУАЭСТ (RUAEST)
On Some Features of A. Smelkov and Yu. Dimitrin’s Libretto “The Brothers Karamazov”
“The Brothers Karamazov” opera by Alexander Smelkov, a Petersburg composer, who worked in close collaboration with Yuri Dimitrin, a playwright, is viewed through the prism of “the literary source – the opera libretto” relation. The texts of the opera and the novel are subject to a comparative analysis for the ёrst time. This analysis results in the conclusions about what changes were made in the literary source by the authors of the opera-mystery. Two acts connected with the images of Grushenka and Katerina Ivanovna are given a special focus. The solo text characterizing the opera female characters are written by Yu. Dimitrin and Z. Gippius. The article dwells on the reasons of using “other” texts in the libretto as well as the meaning of the borrowings helping to reveal the idea of the authors of the opera. The theme “in the spirit of Tchaikovsky” in the scene with Grushenka gives rise to the analogy with the opera “Eugene Onegin”, A.S. Pushkin’s novel, and F.M. Dostoevsky’s Pushkin speech. There are interesting parallels between the circumstances of Z.N. Gippius’ personal life and Katerina Ivanovna’s fate. The conclusion is drawn that the composer and the librettist’s deep knowledge relates to understanding of literary criticism and reяects the writer’s creative heritage.